


A lack of change

by faraandmera



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-02
Updated: 2017-09-02
Packaged: 2018-12-22 19:29:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11974158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/faraandmera/pseuds/faraandmera
Summary: Not much had changed, since they first met.Age 10: Barely knew each other. Spoke at most three times.Age 18; Friends.Age 19: ???





	A lack of change

**Author's Note:**

> This was written as a request.

At age 5, Prompto discovered the joy of taking pictures.

At age 5, Noctis learned the meaning of the word ‘prince.’

At age 7, Prompto found that his schools attention was turned to one student. To Noctis. To the countries Prince. Prompto hadn’t really thought much about it, though he was surprised- and maybe amazed- that the prince attended his school, he knew that wouldn’t change anything for him.

At age 7, Noctis realized that people were going to treat him a certain way. That things are different for people like him. That friendships would be more difficult to form. That Luna was the only person who wasn’t treating him specially, and even she seemed to look at him like she understood something he didn’t.

At age 10, Prompto caught sight of an injured dog, and couldn’t just ignore that. He took to treating it.

At age 10, Noctis find himself unable to see his one real friend anymore.

At age 10, Prompto spoke, for the first time, with Noctis. Approached with the intent of a small ‘hello’ and seeing where he could go from there. Instead he tripped, barely managing to save the camera around his neck, and was helped up by Noctis.

“You should be more careful. You’re pretty clumsy, huh?”

At age 10, Noctis meets eyes with the kid who fell over in front of him, and before he can wave, or greet him, the kid turns away. Noctis finds himself frowning, as he’s ushered into a car. His frown only deepens when he realizes his father isn’t present.

At age 11, Prompto has exchanged two letters with one Lunafreya. The first was her thanks for him treating her dog, and asking him to be Noctis’ friend. The second has him promising to do just that, despite not knowing how to go about it, or if he could.

It doesn’t help that Noctis disappears for a few months, halfway through the year.

At age 11, Noctis stares into the eyes of a beast, as it winds up to attack him. Noctis watches was his father fells it, amazed. Noctis finds himself bound to a wheelchair for months, and then, when he’s well enough to, he’s training more than he ever was before. His diet has been changed, though he can’t quite place why, and his only thankfulness comes in how little he sees vegetables. Noctis knows they’re being snuck in there somehow, but he can’t see them.

Everyone seems keen on building up his muscle mass so he can, “protect himself,” apparently.

Prompto works up the courage many times, to try and talk to Noctis. To start the friendship he promised Luna he would. Age 12, he stops last second, pulling his camera up and pretending to be looking at it. Age 13, he trips into a wall, and hides before embarrassment gets to him. Age 14, age 15, age 16, age 17. Prompto finds himself unable to talk to Noctis for years. Before he knows it, they’re in high school, and Prompto stares at himself in the mirror.

“You need to get it together! Just talk to him!”

Training, sleep, food, training, sleep, food. Noctis lives his life in routine, and hardly remembers that school is part of that. He’s grown quite a bit taller, much wider, but mostly he just doesn’t care. Doesn’t care about the training, or the teachings, or anything except his fathers deteriorating health and the realization that Noctis doesn’t have any friends. Luna is too far to talk to, Ignis and Galdio, though close, are around because of their work, more than him.

Prompto leaves his house, at age 18, on his way to school. The entire way there, he tells himself that today will be the day, that he’ll finally make friends with Noctis.

When Prompto finds Noctis, the other is by himself, walking from one building to another, on the school grounds. Prompto immediately thinks about turning around, about ignoring the opportunity. Then he thinks about being 10, and a letter, and forces himself to shake the thought away. He runs up, hesitates, and trips. Noctis doesn’t seem to notice, his back turned, and before he can turn around to face the sound, Prompto is throwing an arm on Noctis’ shoulder, forcing a grin.

“Hey, you’re Noctis, right?” Prompto internally winces at his own volume.

“Uh, yeah?”

“I think we’re in the same class.” _Knows_. Prompto had already seen that they were, and was surprised at his luck. This would be the eighth year in a row they are. “I’m Prompto.” There’s a pause, and Prompto pulls his arm back, finally considering the invasion of personal space. “Uh- nice to meet you?”

“Haven’t we already met?” Noctis raises an eyebrow, and Prompto can only seem to laugh, avoiding his gaze.

 

Friendship comes surprisingly easy. Noctis isn’t exactly an expert on social interaction, but Prompto wouldn’t say he ever was, either. Neither of them have a ton of friendship experience, so they rely on the knowledge gained from shows, and making assumption about what is normal for friendships. In the end, they find each other easy to talk to, which has Prompto cursing how long it actually took to start talking in the first place.

Before either of them knows it, they’re falling into a routine. They meet up before class in the morning, and catch up- how training’s going, what pictures have been taken- as they head to class. Eat lunch together- Noctis taking the opportunity to trade his regulated meals for the fast food that Prompto usually gets for lunch, in the morning on his way to school- and return to class. After school has the most variation, as it all depends on Noctis’ schedule for the day, but there are really only a few options.

One- Noctis has training, and they part ways after school. Prompto heads home, maybe grabbing a couple pictures of passing animals on the way. Noctis head to train with Gladio, frowning all the way.

Two- video games. The arcade is only a few minutes for their high school, and they quickly discovered their shared love for video games, so they head there more often than not. Prompto discovered a hidden talent for shooting games, and Noctis has since encouraged him to use it. Other times, they head to Noctis’ home- the one that isn’t the castle- and play games while sitting close enough on the couch to each other, to elbow the other when one starts winning.

With routine set in their schedule, they quickly for habits when spending time with each other. Everyone else notices, but Ignis and Gladio- who see them most often- don’t know how to bring up how their actions… stray from the norm.

Prompto hasn’t become any less clumsy in the past few years, but Noctis has become more reflexive, and more often than not, Noctis ends up catching the other. This isn’t something either of them point out, after the tenth time. Small thank you’s pass without much thought, from Prompto, but they don’t really acknowledge it. This, in and of itself, isn’t strange. Friends help each other. Noctis continued hold, though, is slightly off.

It’s not surprise, when they’re each other’s first friends, that they wouldn’t notice the shifting from- teetering on the line of- friendship and a relationship.

They sit close. That’s not a sign in itself. They often hold hands. That’s not a sign in itself. They eat a lot of meals- more as time goes on- together. That’s not a sign in itself. They quickly started using nicknames for each other. Friends do that, it’s not a sign. A few kisses on the cheek? That’s not a sign necessarily.

Piling everything together, or even, just watching them interact, though? It a bit hard to argue that what’s going on hasn’t deviated from platonic in nature.

When as much is pointed out to him, Prompto immediately denies it.

“I think you’re exaggerating I- Iggy.” Prompto hesitates to nickname someone who he only just begun to know, but he’s trying to prove a point. Ignis lets it go, with a sigh and shake of his head, but clearly isn’t convinced.

So Prompto goes to the best source of proof he can. Luna. Though he can’t go directly to her- leaving the city isn’t exactly an easy task for someone without much resources- but he sends his third letter, ever, to her. It’s simple, a greeting, asking how she’s been, then explaining the situation, and asking for her opinion. He hesitates sending it for days on end, before he finally forces himself to send it.

‘ _ _No, I think that’s something unique for you. He certainly never acted like that with me, at least.’__

Prompto re-reads the words with the dawning realization that she hadn’t supported his theory. That this wasn’t just the usual friendship thing that he thought it was.

 

It’s hard not to question what you mean to someone when everyone else is questioning what kind of relationship you have with that person.

Prompto doesn’t know how it could have changed that drastically, though.

Age 10: Barely knew each other. Spoke at most three times.

Age 12: The same.

Age 14: The same.

Age 16: The same.

Age 18; Friends.

Age 19: ???

Had something really changed without his noticing? Had he, somehow, overlooked something? But he hadn’t changed. Round, glasses wearing, clumsy, and with an affinity for taking pictures? The same at 10 as at 18. So nothing about him had changed.

On the other hand, Changes were strikingly obvious between the years, with Noctis.

So it didn’t really make sense.

 

For someone who spent years neglecting to do something he knew he had to, Prompto show a shocking lack of restraint in asking Noctis about this exact subject.

“Hey, dude?”

“Yeah?”

“What would you say… I mean to you?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, we’re friends… right? But what if- I mean- is that… it?”

“No.” Noctis states, blandly, glancing to the side to look at Prompto.

“What?!”

“I thought it was pretty obvious? I love you?”

“Oh.”

“Yeah…”

“Cool.”

“So?”

“Oh- yeah- I mean- me too?”

While neither of them is entire clear on who leans forwards first, they end up in a kiss. One that’s slight, and soft, and broken by someone clearing their throat.

“Weren’t you two supposed to be studying?”

“Studying is for nerds.”

“You __are__  a nerd.”

“Rude.”

Age 19: Boyfriends.


End file.
